Absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, catamenial pads, Feminine pads, panty liners, panty shields and incontinence garments are devices which are designed to be worn adjacent to a woman's pudendum to absorb body fluids such as menses, blood, urine, and other excrements. Sanitary napkins are designed to be worn during the menstrual period, while panty liners and panty shields can be worn prior to, during, or after the menstrual period. Incontinence garments can be worn at any time to absorb urine and other body fluids. Some women use incontinence garments to absorb menses. Many times, panty liners and panty shields are worn in conjunction with a tampon, which is an internal device designed to also absorb body fluids. A difference between sanitary napkins and panty liners is the amount of fluid which each can absorb. Sanitary napkins are generally larger in size, usually thicker, and are capable of absorbing a greater quantity of body fluids.
It has been known for some time that absorbent articles can contain a pair of side flaps which extend laterally outward from the longitudinal sides of the central absorbent. Such flaps can prevent staining of the undergarment. Some flaps are designed to wrap around the undergarment and attach to each other so as to hold the article securely in place.
One of the early patents to teach the use of flaps on a sanitary napkin was U.S. Pat. No. 2,787,271 to Clark. U.S. Pat. No. 3,397,697 to Rickard and U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,343 to McNair provided improvements wherein the flaps overlapped so as to hold the sanitary napkin securely to the undergarment. Since 1953, many versions of sanitary napkins with panty-gathering flaps have been patented. U.S. Patent 4,608,047 to Mattingly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,320 to McCoy, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,589,876, and 4,687,478, both to Van Tilburg, teach the use of flexible flaps.
In addition to the above patents, manufacturers have been perfecting die-cutting operations to make absorbent articles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,739 to Whitehead and U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,574 to Seidy teach die cutting absorbent articles.
A review of the prior art shows that absorbent articles, which contain a pair of outwardly-extending flaps require separate and distinct strips of release paper to cover the distinct adhesive areas. A reason for this is that adhesive is an expensive component of the article. Therefore, manufacturers have tended to use only what was needed. This factor has caused the adhesive to be applied in separate and discrete areas instead of over the entire garment-facing surface. A second reason why separate strips of release paper have been used in the past is that manufacturers have made the flaps very flexible. The use of a single piece of release paper was frowned upon because, once the release paper was removed, the flaps would tend to fold down and the adhesive on the flaps could contact another portion of the article before the article was positioned in the crotch portion of an undergarment. Once the adhesive is attached to another portion of the article, it is difficult to remove the flap without damaging or tearing either the flap or the article. This would then prevent the consumer from properly applying the absorbent article to the crotch portion of the undergarment. Such action could cause the user to become frustrated. Accordingly, manufacturers have stayed away from using a single piece of release paper on absorbent articles with flaps.
One manufacturer of absorbent articles with flaps uses three separate pieces of release paper. This manufacturer has printed instructions on the package to teach the consumer how to remove the release paper. The release paper positioned over the central adhesive is first removed and the article is attached to the inner surface of the crotch portion of an undergarment. The release paper covering the adhesive on one of the flaps is then removed, and that flap is attached to an exterior surface of the undergarment. The consumer then removes the last piece of release paper from the opposite flap, and that flap is then attached to the exterior surface of the undergarment. If this procedure is not followed correctly, the adhesive usually attaches to another portion of the absorbent article and the article can be ruined before it can be applied.
One attempt to resolve this problem is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,480 to Gossens et al. This patent teaches a feminine pad having a pair of outwardly-extending flaps which are covered by a frictional material. The frictional material holds the article securely to an undergarment but does not adhere to itself.
Now, an absorbent article has been invented which has a pair of relatively stiff tabs which will not appreciably droop or fold downward and allow the adhesive areas on the tabs to prematurely contact another portion of the article.